Yet another of John Tojeiro’s remarkable automobiles is heading to auction, the one-of-a-kind 1958 Tojeiro Climax coupe joining the docket for H&H Classics Sports & GT Cars sale scheduled for June 6 at the RAC’s Woodcote Park Estate in Surrey, England.
As H&H shares the story, Tojeiro was approached by F.B.P. Bambridge to supply a spaceframe chassis “that could underpin his vision for a small capacity but high performance coupe.”
Tojeiro already was working on the AC Ace LM and the Tojeiro-Climax sports racer entries for Le Mans, but created the platform as well for Bambridge, who had bodywork done by Wakefield & Sons and vehicle assembly by Competition Motors of Weybridge.
As original owner, Bambridge reportedly drove the car 20,000 miles and announced, “Stability and controllability were far better than anything I had previously experienced and the ride was most comfortable.”
Though built for the road, a subsequent owner raced the car in the 1960s.
The auction consignor obtained what became known as the Tojeiro-Climax coupe in 2009 and sent it to the Beacon Hill Garage for restoration to original specification.
H&H believes the car has traveled only 38,000 miles since new and reports that it retains its original Coventry Climax engine. H&H has announced a pre-auction estimated value of £65,000 to £75,000 ($83,000 to $96,000).
Tojeiro was born in Portugal to a Portuguese father and English mother, who returned to her homeland in 1924, when her husband died a year after John Tojeiro was born. John Tojeiro was an engineer with the British air force in World War II and then designed a series of revolutionary automobiles as a chassis engineer with the Ecurie Ecosse racing team. He also designed the AC Ace that provided the basis for Carroll Shelby’s Cobra.
Tojeiro, or “Toj” as he was known, died in 2005.
What “Coventry Climax” engine are we talking about?